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L. ONDERDONK. TAKE-UP MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES. N0. 591,546.

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I @aigu @y n UNITED STATES- PATENT vFrisia.

LANSING ONDERDONK, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SPECIAL SEWING MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TAKE-UP MECHAN'GISM FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 591,546, dated October 12, 1897. Applicationled January Z3, 1896. Renewed AugustZS, 1897. Serial 110,649,243. (No model.)

T all whom, it Harry concern.-

Be it known that I, LANSING ONDERDONK, a

i citizen of the United States, residing at Bosthereon.

My invention relates to an improvement in sewing-machines, and especially to a device for taking up the slack in the under or looper thread in the rearward `movement of l the looper. Y y

The object is to provide a simple and effec.- tive take-up device which is capable of being operated by a moving part of the machine and may be applied outside of the casing or bed-plate, if desired, thereby enabling me on a cylinder-machine to dispense with the enlarged portion at the rear end generally provided for the reception of the take-up cam and nipper-springs.

The take-up mechanism, which per se forms the subject-matter of thepresent case, is described, shown, and claimed in its relation to certain peculiar featuresof a sewing-machine in a companion application, Case E, filed January 22, 1896, Serial No; 576,593. In the present application, however, it is claimed broadly in its application to any sewing-machine.

The invention includes the matters hereinafter described and referred to in the appended claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a side elevation of so much of a sewing-machine as is necessary to a complete understanding of my invention, showing the take-up mechanism applied thereto. Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively detail views of the cam and reciprocating thread-guiding member.

In the drawings, A represents the base or standard of a sewing-machine; B, the gooseneck; C, the bed-plate or casing, herein shown as of 'cylindrical shape.

D represents the main shaft operatively connected at its outer end with the looper mechanism and which comprises a rod a eccentrically connected to the main shaft, a

looper carrier b on the shaft c, which is mounted to slide and rock in bearings inthe machine-frame, and dis the looper. The feeddog is herein shown at e, and in the particular machine herein illustrated both the looper and feed-dog reciprocate longitudinally of the bed-plate or casing. As far as the present invention is concerned, however, this is an immaterial feature, as the take-up mechanism will work equally well whether the feed be around the arm o r up the arm.

E represents the needle arm or lever which operates the needle-bar carrying the needle f, the needle-lever being operated from the main shaft in the usual way. y

F .is the presser-bar, and g the presser-foot. As herein shown, the needle arm or' lever is provided with a downwardly-projecting eX- tensionG, through which motion is transmitted to the take-up mechanism. This downwardly-projectingportion may be either inframe by slots and screws lm. An eye fn, at-

tached to the machine-frame, and the opening o through the casing serve also as guides for the looper-thread, which is laid therethrough and through a suitable guide or eye 1o, secured within the casing, to the looper. -While the looper is moving forward and the slack is being taken up by the movement of the piece h, which draws the thread over the cam, it is necessary to hold the thread at some point between the take-up and tension to prevent pulling off more thread from the spool, and for this purpose I provide two plates or nipper-springs q r, only one of which, r, is herein shown as of spring metal, the plate q being attached to the machine-frame. The plate r is adjustably secured to the plate q by slots and screws s t, and has a raised por.- tion u, uponwhich is adapted to bear a projection, herein shown as a screw o on the nee- IOO die-lever extension, so that as said extension moves forward the needle moves down and the looper backward, whereby the slack on the looper-thread is taken up, and the spring r will be compressed against the plate q, nipping the thread firmly and preventing any from being pulled off the spool.

Various minor modifications and changes in the construction of this apparatus may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I'Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A sewing-machine comprising suitable stitch-forming mechanism including a needleoperating lever having a rigid downward eX- tension thereupon, a forked piece secured to said downward extension, each side of the fork being provided with a thread-guiding eye, a stationary cam projecting into the plane between the two guiding-eyes, and a thread-clamping device secured to the machine-frame and means carried by the needlelever and operatively engaging the threadclamping device to cause the same to grip and release the thread; substantially as described.

2. In a sewing-machine the combination with the needle the lever operating the same and having a downward extension, the looper and the main driving-shaft, of a positivelyactuated take-up for the lower thread consisting of a forked piece provided with a guiding-eye on each part of the fork secured on said downward extension, a stationary cam projecting into the path of the thread and between the guiding-eyes, a lug or proj eetion on said lever, and a clamping device for the thread secured to the machine-frame and having a spring member adapted to be operated by the projection or lug on the lever to alternately grip and release the lower thread; substantially as described.

A sewing-machine comprising a bedplate, feeding and loopcr mechanisms arranged therein, a needle-operating lever having a downward extension and a take-up mechanism comprising a cam, a forked piece attached to said downward extension and reciprocating back and forth in the movement thereof, and means for alternately catching and releasing the thread, substantially as described.

4. A sewing-machine comprising a bedplate, feeding and looper mechanisms arranged therein, a needle-operating lever having a downward extension,- and a take-up mechanism comprising a cam, a forked piece attached to said downward extension and reciprocating back and forth in the movement thereof, a clamping device attached to the machine-frame, and a projection carried on said needle-lever extension adapted in its reciprocation to cause said clamping device alternately to catch and release the thread, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LANSING ONDERDONK.

I'Vitnesses:

C. L. STURTEVANT, HARRY Y. DAVIS. 

